Faculty Profile: A fresh approach

“It takes a lot more work to design an active learning session than a passive one,” says Michael Fratantuono, associate professor and chair of international business & management and associate professor of international studies. If you visit one of his classes, you won’t find a podium. You will find a large whiteboard and plenty of room for students to do group work during breakout sessions.

Role-playing, economic modeling and simulation exercises all help achieve Fratantuono’s primary goal: creating a challenging and stimulating classroom environment—one that encourages students to take ownership of what they’ve learned and apply it to the real world.

As is typical for him, Prof. Michael Fratantuono sits among his students as he teaches, not behind a podium. He believes in a comfortable, friendly classroom environment that is conducive to original thinking and full participation.

“Mastering the fundamentals gives you a green light for personal exploration and innovation,” he says. “I work hard to foster that feeling. IB&M is a challenging major, so it’s important for students to feel that we’re in it together, working hard to cultivate the skills they’ll use after they graduate.”

Through the core classes in the IB&M curriculum, students are able to engage in critical thinking, cultivate a global perspective, explore their creativity and innovation and foster personal growth. They graduate from Dickinson fully equipped to engage as leaders in the global marketplace.

Outside of his classroom, Fratantuono is interested in international economics, government-business relations and U.S. foreign economic policy. He has worked as a project manager in the software development industry. He also has been visiting professor in the Department of National Security and Strategy at the U.S. Army War College.

Fratantuono recently was awarded a $1,200 grant by the ASIANetwork Hong Kong American Center Pearl River Delta Faculty Development Program. He and 14 other professors spent four weeks traveling to three sites in the region: Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Xiamen. At each stop, they met with Chinese and Western scholars, conducted interviews, listened to presentations and experienced the dynamism of the region’s people and economy firsthand.

Other Faculty Members
Stephen Erfle, associate professor of international business & management
Dengjian Jin, John J. Curley ’60 and Ann Conser Curley ’63 faculty chair in
international business & management, associate professor of international business & management
Michael Poulton, assistant professor of international business & management
Wanru Su, visiting associate professor of international business & management
David Sarcone, assistant professor of international business & management
Vasumathi Vijayraghavan, assistant professor of international business & management

Contributing Faculty Members
Brian Whalen, associate dean and executive director of global education, associate
professor of international studies

Student Resources: The road to success

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